“An analysis of the abundance and distribution of small mammals from the edge of a mixed deciduous woodland in Northeast England, with regard to and vegetation architecture.”

Abstract

In August 2006 a field work study was undertaken to ascertain if there was a
relationship between vegetation architecture and small mammal abundance at three
sites from the edge of a fragmented mixed deciduous wood in the North east of
England. Longworth trapping was used in transects to quantify distribution in distance
from the edge, and the relatively new method of drop disc measurement was used to
quantify vegetation architecture. To account for the affects of habitat corridors the
sites were positioned so that each had a varying degree of proximity to a corridor, and
each site had a different degree of transition from closed wood and open ground. Two
sites had slight inclines advancing from the edge and one was on flat ground. It was
found that small mammal abundance decreased with increasing distance from the
edge and was expressed using linear regression. The most abundance was found on
the second site with the most gradual shift in land cover, and with the highest
gradient. There was not, however, a significant relationship between vegetation
architecture and mammal distribution. This paper suggests revisions in the designs of
such research projects with regard to trapping methodology and further work into the
temporal nature of habitat corridors. This paper also suggests further research into the
impact of gradient in mammal movement besides vegetation cover.